Natural ventilation for all

Challenge

Natural ventilation is an effective way to ensure air exchange and thereby reduce indoor pollution.1 But many buildings today are built with unopenable windows, and users often have to rely on mechanical ventilation to ensure good indoor air quality.

Solution

COVID-19 has brought focus on air exchange and circulation. Today, massive research is being carried out to improve ventilation systems so that future demands for efficiency and energy consumption can be met. The Ublo ventilation system is a circular window installed directly into a window without a frame or other measures, making it ideal for rooms where the existing windows cannot be opened, as is the case in many high-rise buildings or shops. The window can be opened and closed by individual users as needed, giving users agency. Although ‘Ublo’ has an opening of only 15 centimetres, it can create effective ventilation, according to the designers, and thus contribute to good indoor air quality.

A solution such as Ublo shows that small changes can make a big difference and that several parallel technologies may need to be considered if we want to ensure good indoor air quality. At the same time, it shows that we can give end users of buildings a sense of control over the spaces they inhabit, allowing them to make choices which affect their comfort and health.

Taxonomy

Sphere: All spheres

Timescale: Tactical, Long Term

Type: Building Intervention

User Group: All user groups

Typical mechanical ventilation: Users do not have the opportunity to open the windows